The stars of the original British sitcom "The Office," Martin Freeman and Mackenzie Crook, have shared behind-the-scenes anecdotes and reflections as the show marks its 25th anniversary. The pair reunited for a BBC special, "Remember... The Office," to look back at the series that launched in 2001.
Freeman, who portrayed Tim Canterbury, revealed he almost didn't get his iconic role. He initially auditioned for the part of Gareth Keenan, ultimately played by Crook. "It was the showbiz cliché. I was on the way out and, as I had my hand on the handle of the door... one of them said, 'Do you think Martin should read for Tim instead?'" Freeman recalled. He expressed gratitude for the second chance, acknowledging that Crook was the ideal fit for Gareth.
The mockumentary, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, followed the mundane lives of employees at the Slough branch of the paper company Wernham Hogg. Initially attracting a modest 1.5 million viewers, the show's popularity surged, with its two-part Christmas special drawing nine million viewers.
Freeman described the show's success as feeling like being part of a band, noting that even established figures like musicians and Sacha Baron Cohen were avid viewers. He mentioned hearing that Paul McCartney had the episodes taped.
"A sleeper hit, the BBC show first attracted a viewership of 1.5 million viewers, growing to nine million by the time the two-part Christmas special aired two years later," the Daily Mail reported.
While appreciative of Gervais and Merchant for their careers, Freeman and Crook admitted to occasional frustrations. Freeman expressed mild annoyance at the narrative that all lines were solely from Gervais and Merchant's scripts. He clarified that while the writing was brilliant, the show's "loose" style allowed for contributions in the moment, a fact sometimes overlooked when scripts were published as transcriptions rather than original drafts.
"It was loose and that's to Ricky and Steve's credit because the scripts were absolutely brilliant. It wasn't improvised but it was nicely loose," Freeman explained.
Both actors also voiced their reservations about the American remake of "The Office," which achieved significant international success with nine series and multiple awards, including five Emmys. The US version starred Steve Carell as Michael Scott, the counterpart to Gervais's David Brent.
"I remember hearing about it and thinking, 'Why? Why do they need to do that? We've done it, haven't we?'" Crook said. He admitted to only watching the first episode of the US version, which mirrored the original's pilot script. Freeman concurred, adding with a touch of humor that he felt "more hate than petulance" regarding the remake, noting the large number of people unaware of the original British series' existence.
"The Office" has been remade in 16 countries worldwide, but the American adaptation became the most prominent. Freeman and Crook's reflections were part of a BBC special looking back at the groundbreaking mockumentary series that has become a significant export in British comedy.
